It was a dark and stormy night, again…
Kabana (64 Seaward St, Glasgow, G41 1HJ) only reached the ears of Hector a few weeks ago. Tonight Marg and I found ourselves on the South Side having had no dinner. The perfect opperchancity to try a different Curry House.
Hector managed to park right outside the door which was fortuitous on such a wet night. The place was larger than I anticipated and then we were soon informed that next door is a hall that sits 400. Kabana has been in situ for six years. I had heard rumours of an impressive outlet near Paisley Rd Toll, but as I never drive up Seaward St, I have never spotted it: until tonight…
The room had a large group of gentlemen holding a meeting down the far wall. We were offered an adjacent table but declined this, we felt that we might be imposing. There was a free booth at the door and gladly took this. The waiter said he was worried about draughts: it is raining, so the temperature is above zero, no problem.
The well worn menu had – Chefs Desi Style Specialties – oh good! Hector chose the classic Karahi Gosht, Marg opted for the Karahi Fish having checked with the waiter that it would not blow her away.
Tawa Chap
attis were ordered along with Kabana Punjabi Rice. This was slightly more expensive than the Mushroom Rice and the Vegetable Rice, in for a penny…
Mango Lassi was available so Marg ordered a glass, this turned out to be a pint! Excellent value at £1.70. Just how much does the jug at £3.50 hold? Free Poppadoms and a large bowl of Onion Chutney were presented, we were off to a good start.
The mains arrived after a decent interval. The Karahi Gosht looked impressive, the Fish Karahi was heaped high. The Rice….. boiled Basmati with…..finely chopped Capsicum….why?
The first dip of the Chapatti into the Masala revealed a definite taste, encouraging. The Lamb dish was decidedly oily, or was it Ghee? As I ate on I decided it was certainly Ghee. Unfortunately the oily taste was the solitary taste this dish was going to give up. I was hoping for more. The Lamb content was more than adequate and the meat required slight chewing but was by no means of poor quality.
Marg asked if this was my first intake of food after work. It was now 20.00, Hector had preserved the appetite, Marg had snacked. She ate just over half her large pot of Fish, so Hector was set the task of finishing off the Fish Karahi. Life can be hard.
This dish had appreciably less Masala, it was more to my liking and it was less oily. The Fish had been cooked in Batter, why?
It is amazing how both dishes can be classed as Karahi and be so different. These are the Desi, or home-cooked-style dishes: they do not compete with the equivalent dishes at what Hector regards as Glasgow’s three finest outlets. The – wow – factor was not there.
The Bill
£22..00 which is comparable to the Cafe style restaurants in the area. The staff were thoroughly pleasant, the ambiance fine. What a pity (for them) that The Village is just a few blocks to the east.